The World’s Most Valuable Companies throughout History #5 – IBM

In this nine-piece report, Huntedhead will look at global corporations throughout history. The ranking is based on total worth, adjusted for inflation.

IBM in 1967 – $1,300,000,000,000

As the developer of the first Personal Computer, IBM has certainly made history. Since the official establishment in 1911, IBM has had a revolutionary existence, not without controversy. In the 1940’s IBM supplied the Nazi-operated concentration camps with punched card systems for the registration of Jewish prisoners, a black page in the company’s history.

Technological advancements developed throughout the years include the electronic calculator, the floppy disk (1967), the bar code (1970) and the personal computer (1981). After IBM was passed by competitors on the home computer market, the focus shifted to the business end of the market. In 2005, Lenovo bought the PC-division for $650 million cash and $600 million in shares.

Nowadays, the core activities consist of selling computer hardware, software, technology and services in the IT sector. IBM is also active in upcoming markets, where they are trying to sell their extensive database services and analyses. The resulting revenue was $107 billion in 2011, earned by 433,000 employees. Although still one of the global top corporations, the adjusted-for-inflation worth in 1967 is significantly higher at a staggering $1.3 trillion, making it to the top-5 of our list.